Balloon game



April 18, 1950 H. FINDON BALLOON GAME Filed Sept. 3, 1947 4 INVENTOR. 170771472720 0,

ATTCI RN EYS Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNI TED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALLOON GAME Barry L. Findon, Milltown, N. J.

Application September 3, 1947, Serial No. 771,918

1 Claim. 1

My present invention relates to the general class of amusement devices of the type employing a ported target and an aerial projectile, and more specifically to an improved balloon game that includes a stand having target openings or orifices and stationed upon a table or other suitable support for use by two opponents, or teams, in manually passing one or more projectiles back and forth through the Openings or port-holes.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a novel game fixture that is composed of a minimum number of parts which may with facility be manufactured at low cost of mass production, and the parts may be assembled to constitute a game device or appliance that may be compactly arranged for shipping and storing, and which may with ease be converted into shape and form as a substantial fixture for use in playing the game.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts in the target-stand as will hereinafter be described and more particularly set forth in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a complete example of a physical embodiment of my invention in which the parts are combined and arranged in accord with one mode I have devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention. It will, however, be understood that changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exempliiying drawings, within the scope of my claims, without departing from the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view disclosing the game apparatus of my invention supported upon a table and in position for play.

Figure 2 is a side or edge view of the target stand; and Figure 3 is a vertical central sectional view of the target stand, showing various positions of the aerial projectile or balloon, with arrows denoting the direction of travel of the balloons.

In carrying out my invention I employ a number of aerial projectiles, preferably inflated balloonsas B, and in playing the game I utilize a suitable support as a table T with legs L in order that the table may reach the proper height for two players, or opposing teams, with the opponents standing at the opposite ends of the table.

At the approximate center of the table, the portable game appliance or device of my invention is located and disposed transversely of the longitudinal center line of the table, and in this preferred form of the invention I employ a fold- 2 able, inverted V-shaped target stand that may be manufactured or cardboard, light metal, molded plastic, or other suitable material. As here disclosed the stand includes two boards I and 2 that are foldable on a hinge joint 3 in order that the stand may be folded to compact form for shipping and storing purposes.

When installed in upright position for use the foldable V-shaped stand is rigidly held in open position with the boards spaced apart by means of a horizontal brace or bar 4, the upturned ends of which bar are inserted in bracket sockets or loops 5 and 6 rigid with the lower free ends of the two boards, and the brace rests upon the table top to coact with the lower edges of the boards in forming a substantial base for supporting the stand.

Each board I and 2 is provided with a porthole, opening or orifice, as 1 and 8, and preferably, these port-holes or target holes are axially alined in a horizontal plane, and circular in shape, with a diameter slightly in excess of the exterior diameter of the spherical projectile or balloon B, so that the target-holes may permit passage therethrough of the balloon.

The outer or exposed faces of these double or tandem boards may be ornamented or decorated in suitable manner, as for instance by utilizing the port-holes as mouths for the grotesque or fantastic faces displayed on the boards, but the decoration or ornamentation may be optional.

The game is played by two opponents, or teams, one at each end of the table, and the objective is to pass or toss the projectile through the alined port-holes. With a light-weight and buoyant balloon, the projectile is preferably tossed up by one hand and then patted by the other hand with an aim at the nearer port-hole. If the projectile passes through the nearer hole a point is scored; if the projectile passes through both targetholes a higher point is scored, and these movements are indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. If the projectile fails to hit the target hole and bounces off the nearer board a miss is counted against the player.

After one opponent has had a predetermined number of tries or attempts, the second opponent at the oppoiste end of the table takes his turn at projecting the balloon or balloons, and the play alternates until a set score has been attained by the winner of the game.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A target device including an inverted V-shaped stand composed of two ioldable boards each hav- 3 ing a centrally iocated bottom fastening socket to retain said boards in spaced relation to each other and a detachable brace having upturned ends receivable in said socket for connecting said 4' INITED STATES PATENTS} Hufiiber sockets, and said boards having axially alined 5 42181398 target-ports adapted to permit passage of a complementary aerial projectile.

HARRY L. FINDON.

REFERENCES CITE-D The following references are of record in the, file of this patent: 

